You Are Not Alone...

Assalam Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu!

May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah (swt) be upon all of you!

Has it ever been that sometimes you have an uproar of emotions and you find it hard to express yourselves? Have you ever felt so depressed about your life that you think it’s better for you to stay isolated? During such times you may feel that no amount of prayers or patience can calm you down or help you overcome your depression… You just lose all hopes that your life is going to be any better and you sulk in grief. You feel the whole world is having a whale of a time and here you are crying your eyes out. 

These emotions have persuaded me to write this article so that anybody going through this period don’t feel they’re alone and are the only ones in the world drowned in agony. If you’re going through any of these emotions then consider this as an amazing opportunity given to you by Allah (swt) Himself to make your life more meaningful and worth living… ;)

I cannot think of anything but this beautiful verse from Surah Baqarah to start with…

يأيُّهَا الَّذينَ ءَامنُواْ استَعِينُواْ بِالصَّبرِ و الصَّلوةِ ^ج  إنَّ اللهَ مَعَ اصّٰبِرين

“O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.” (Verse 153)

وَلَنَبلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىءٍ مِّنَ ﭐلخَوفِ وَ ﭐلجُوعِ وَ نَقصٍ مِّنَ ﭐلأَموٰالِ وَﭐلأنفُسِ وَ ﭐلثَمَرٰتِ وَ بَشِّرِ 

ﭐلصّٰبِرين

“And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient.” (Verse 155)

ﭐلَّذينَ إِذَآ أَصٰبَتهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالواْ إِنَّا للّٰه وَ إِنَّآ إلَيهِ رٰجِعُون

“Who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allah and indeed to Him we will return.” (Verse 156)

أُولْٰئِكَ عَلَيهِم صَلَوٰتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِم وَ رَحمَةٌ وَ أُوْلٰئِكَ هُمُ ﭐلمُهتَدُون

“Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the (rightly) guided.” (Verse 157)

For those of us who’re depressed and in a state where we feel nothing in this world can comfort us, we need to take a step back and reflect on these beautiful verses from the Quran. But before I do that, let’s reflect on the wisdom of Allah azza wa jal…

Now whenever we feel sad or are lost into a gloomy world, we tend to ask ourselves certain questions like “Why me?” “What did I do wrong?” “Is this a punishment?” “Didn’t Allah say He wouldn’t burden anybody more than what they can bear? Then why is He causing this pain to me?”

Exactly my point dear brothers and sisters. When Allah (swt) Himself stated in the 

Quran in Surah Baqarah, verse 286

“لا يُكَلِّفُ الله نَفساً إلاّ وُسعَهَا”

“Allah does not burden a soul beyond that which it can bear”

then how can He cause you pain that you cannot tolerate? Na’uzubillah are we trying to say that Allah’s claim is wrong?

How can we forget the Hadith that says, “The greatest reward comes with the greatest trial. When Allaah loves a person, He tests them. Whoever accepts that wins His pleasure but whoever is discontent with that earns His wrath.” (Tirmidhi and Ibn Maajah)

And another Hadith narrated by Umar bin Khattab (رضى الله عنه): “Some prisoners were brought to Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم), and there was a woman among the prisoners who was searching (for her child). When she found her child, she embraced him and put him to her breast. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said to us, ‘Do you think that this woman would throw her child in the fire?’ We said, ‘No, by Allah, not if she is able not to.’ He (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, ‘Allah is more merciful to His slaves than this woman is to her child.’”  (Agreed upon)

How on earth can we doubt the Mercy of Allah (swt) and His wisdom when we’re going a tough period? Don’t you think if you’re facing pain then there must be a reason behind it? And most possibly the reason might be to bring us closer to Allah (swt)? Cause you feel you cannot share your feelings with anybody, the thought of it makes you cry your eyes out and you wouldn’t want anybody to feel you’re weak and to judge you so now who better than Allah (swt) to turn towards to…? He who doesn’t judge anybody who express their weakness before Him. He who is always ready to aid you. He who loves you more than a mother could love her child. He who’s mercy surpasses everything in this world.

One of my articles “Why Me?” deals with similar feelings but this article will focus more on those facing depression and feel they might never be able to come out of it.

Now moving on to the verses from Surah Baqarah that I had mentioned earlier…

What I feel is these 4 verses answers all the questions that anybody going through depression will have. Why am I facing this? How do I deal with this and what will I get out of this? Now let’s see what Allah (swt) wants you to know through these verses…

The first question is, “why am I facing this?”

Let’s see verse 155.

“And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient.”

Allah (swt) tells us that we must be tested with trials to differentiate between those who are truthful and those who are liars, between those who are patient and those who are impatient (Surah Ankabut, verse 2). This is Allah’s wisdom. This is the lesson and benefit of trials. So these difficult times are not for you to go away from Allah azza wa jal and live your life in seclusion. It is these times that give us the opportunity to strengthen our imaan and to prove our loyalty towards Allah (swt).

These trials divide people into 2 categories – the impatient and the patient.

The impatient has to deal with losses in this world and the Hereafter. They will lose the reward attained for obeying Allah (swt) by being patient. This person’s Imaan decreases. They miss out the opportunity of having patience, gratitude, and being satisfied and pleased with the decree of Allah. Rather they become displeased and angry. This attitude shows their immaturity.

As for the one who Allah guides to patience during times of calamity, they restrain their speech and actions of dissatisfaction that leads to the displeasure of Allah. They understand that the reward for being patient is greater than the trials they’re going through. In this sense, the calamity actually becomes a blessing for that person because it becomes a means to achieve something that is better and more beneficial than which was lost.

It is up to us to decide which category of people we want to fall into. Do we want to turn a calamity into a blessing or into a pitfall?

Moving on to the second question, “how do I deal with this?”

They respond to these calamities by saying,

“إِنَّا للّٰه وَ إِنَّآ إلَيهِ رٰجِعُون”

(Indeed we belong to Allah and indeed our return is to Him)

This means we are owned by Allah, and we are under His command and control. So when we are tested with calamities, we must realize it is the Most Merciful running His sovereignty. It is very important to realize that the calamities that befall us are from The All-Wise, The One who has more compassion for His slaves than they even have for themselves. This realization will make us satisfied with Allah (swt) and our hearts will soften out of the love Allah (swt) has for us because we know it is good for us even if we do not understand why. While we are owned by Allah, we will also return to Him on the Judgement Day. Then everyone will be dealt according to their deeds performed in this world. So if we bear patience and seek Allah’s mercy, we will find our great reward with Him. But if we are impatient, dissatisfied, and displeased with His decree, the only thing we will get is dissatisfaction and the missed-out opportunity of the reward of patience.

If you are patient, Allah (swt) is with you. You are under His protection. No harm can get to you when The Owner of this world and the Hereafter is by your side. Your every prayer and every tear is heard and seen by Him. All your actions are watched by Him. He (swt) will never leave you alone even for a blink of an eye. All you need to do is follow His advice and trust Him. And wait for things to take a turn that will make your life much more beautiful and meaningful than it was before.  

Coming to the third question, “what will I get out of this?”

What you will earn is much greater than everything you’re going through. Following what Allah (swt) has advised us to do in times of difficulty is definitely not easy. This is a task that cannot be performed by everyone. And that is the entire purpose of Him testing you! If He, The Wise, The All Knowing, your Creator is asking you to trust Him at times when you see no light, no direction then there must be a great treasure awaiting you at the end of this trial. He is making you go through this struggle because He knows you’re capable to overcoming this in ways nobody else can. You have the power to beat the odds and earn a better life for yourself. Allah (swt) wants you to come of out this trial much stronger and more wiser than you already were. That’s why He is making you go through what I would call – a training process.

This reminds me of a great saying of Ibn ul Qayyim (رحمه الله),

“From the perfection of Allah’s ihsan is that He allows His slave to taste the bitterness of break before the sweetness of the mend. So He does not break His believing slave except to mend him. And He does not withhold from him except to give him. And He does not test him (with hardship) except to cure him.”

When you’re cracking with pain, don’t build a graveyard in your heart. Go to the sink and make wudu. Let the water run through every crack, let it cleanse you. Pull out your rug and turn towards the Kabah. Let every ‘Allahu Akbar’ echo in your heart, reminding you that your pain will be taken care of. Pour out your heavy heart in front of Him when your forehead is on the ground. Cry your heart out when you raise your hands in dua. Ask Allah (swt) for His Help. Ask Him to comfort you. Ask Him to grant you patience to deal with your struggles. Allah (swt) will never let you go empty handed.  

One of the most beautiful things in life is when you sit down and make genuine dua to Allah (swt). Your heart will feel at ease as your worries melt away and Allah’s words become apparent, “Whoever puts his trust in Allah, He will be enough for him.” (65:3)

Ask yourselves. When was the last time you woke up in the middle of the night or the last third of the night to pray to Allah (swt)? When was the last time you tried to work on your relationship with Allah azza wa jal? You know what my dear brothers and sisters? This is your perfect ooportunity to strengthen your connection with Allah (swt). Wake up just 10 minutes before Fajr. We know that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) told us that it is the last third of the night when Allah azza wa jal descends to the lowest part of the Heavens and He asks “Which one of My servants is seeking My forgiveness so that I may forgive him? Which one of My servants is seeking My mercy so that I may be merciful to them? Which one of My servants is asking of me that I may give to them?” Start your day with it and experience this amazing spiritual feeling and a blessing that Allah (swt) has given us.

I would end my article with one of the most powerful and beautiful verse of the Quran,

ألأ بِذِكرِ ﭐلله تَطمَئِنُّ ﭐلقُلُوب

“Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.”

-    Surah Ra’d, verse 28

Assalam Alaykum.

Fasting or Something More...?

Assalam Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah azza wa jal be upon you!

Alhamdullilah we are in the blessed month of Ramadan. Some of us are excited about the coming 30 days and have planned everything there is to plan while some of us are sooooooo excited that we still haven’t come up with a plan yet. :P 

But Alhamdullilah in some way or the other we are slowly getting into the spirit of this blessed month.

What picture comes to our mind when we think of Ramadan…?

Is it fasting? Or the feast after fasting? The first bite of chicken samosa or haleem is all that plays in our mind in rewind mode. :P

Anyway on a serious note, usually either fasting or taraweeh prayers or iftaar timings come to our mind when we think about Ramadan.

But that’s not what Allah (swt) wants us to think.

This is the verse that has been repeated over and over but today let’s take a closer look at it which is the 185^th verse from Surah al-Baqarah where Allah (swt) says,

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِنَ الْهُدَىٰ وَالْفُرْقَانِ

“The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion.”

Allah (swt) did not introduce us to Ramadan by fasting but by saying that the Quran was revealed in this month. Religious or not, we know that in this month we work a lil extra in worshipping Allah (swt) and in getting closer to Him. And the key to get close to Allah (swt) is through the Quran itself! When we don’t put an effort in learning and trying to understand what Allah (swt) says in the Quran then we’re not actually fulfilling the purpose of Ramadan! The entire purpose of Ramadan is to celebrate the Quran.

This is the month where we need to put in that effort in understanding the Quran and introduce ourselves to it like never before.

The lazy part of us might say that it’s enough to read articles about the Quran or roughly go through it’s translation or atleast recite the Quran once during Ramadan. But that’s not enough. Why? Because the Quran is a purposeful book and how can we derive its benefits when we don’t understand what it says!

Some of us have the habit of reading the newspaper as soon as we wake up or as they say “kill” time by gazing at pictures in the magazine but we don’t pick the Quran and try to understand what Allah (swt) wants us to know through this Book! Is it that hard for us to devote at least half an hour to study the Quran and ponder over its verses? What sort of preoccupation is this where we have plenty of time to read wordly books but no time to understand the Divine Book.

Answer me this. If you receive a letter from your friend in a language that you cannot understand, wouldn’t you ask someone to translate it for you or atleast use the translate app on your phone? But little do we care to know the message sent by The Lord of the worlds for us.

In the 2^nd verse of Surah al-Jum’ah, Allah (swt) says,

 هُوَ ٱلَّذِى بَعَثَ فِى ٱلْأُمِّيِّۦنَ رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا۟ مِن قَبْلُ لَفِى ضَلَٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ

“It is He who has sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom - although they were before in clear error.”

The word يزكيهم comes from the root word ز   ك    ي  which means purify.

يَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ means when Prophet Muhammad (saws) recites the verses of the Quran to his people, it purifies them. This has two indications. Purification of –

1. Mind

2. Heart

By purifying our Minds, Allah (swt) teaches us how to think and how to give right answers. There are verses in the Quran where Allah (swt) asks us to think a certain way, to answer in a specific manner and to reflect on certain things. With every verse, He (swt) is constantly training us to think and learn lessons from them thereby purifying our mind.

And then there’s purification of the Heart. Our heart is filled with diseases like jealousy, laziness, greed, temptation and lust. As we understand Allah’s Book, these diseases slowly diminish. Allah (swt) gives us the power to control them and thereby He (swt) purifies our hearts.

There may be spiritual or intellectual books but the combination of these two can be found only in the Quran. Subhan Allah! When we understand the Quran, Allah (swt) balances our heart and mind.

Now some of us may say that because the Quran is in Arabic, it’s hard to understand and maybe to recite it as well. But there’s good news for them from Allah (swt) Himself! Allah (swt) says in Surah al-Qamar, verse 40,

وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ

“And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?”

Allah (swt) is asking who among you will remember the Quran… He, The Almighty, The most Powerful, your Creator is calling you to remember His Book… And we turn away from this call… That’s something that needs to be fixed. Don’t you think?

This Ramadan, may Allah azza wa jal help us build our relationship with the Quran, understand its beauty and help us remember the divine verses. May Allah azza wa jal help us purify our minds and hearts. May He (swt) fill our hearts with love only for Him and help us detach our hearts from everything that takes us away from His remembrance. May He (swt) make us among those who earn His blessings in this world and the Hereafter and may He make the path to Jannah easy for us.

Lastly, please don’t forget our Ummah in your dua. As we enter Ramadan with all the luxuries of life, there are our Muslim brothers and sisters who are entering Ramadan with not enough food for suhoor or iftaar, with no roof over their head and with constant fear. May Allah (swt) give patience to the Muslims who are going through a tough period and reward their patience by uniting them with their families in Jannah. May He (swt) accept their duas and have mercy on them. Ameen.

Ramadan Mubarak to you. :)

Assalam Alaykum.

Limited Sale; Unlimited Rewards

Assalam Alaykum!

May the peace, blessings and mercy of the Almighty be upon all! 

I did mention I would share a lil secret that would make all your struggles seem like a piece of cake. But since Ramadan has arrived, I thought to put up an article on that as soon as possible. In sha Allah my next article will be on how to ease all your problems and struggles. :)

Let me start with some facts about the fasting hours in 2014:

Australia – 9.5 hours

India – 12 hours

UAE – 14 hours

Saudi Arabia – 15 hours

Egypt – 16 hours

Iran – 17 hours

Canada – 19 hours

Britain – 20.5 hours

Iceland – 21 hours

Easy, isn’t it? Uh huh. How many of you thought that isn’t an easy task…? Well I thought the same until I came across a verse from the Quran, “Allah intends for you ease, and does not want to make things difficult for you” (Surah Baqarah, verse 185) and Allah (swt) also says, “Allah does not want to place you in difficulty” (Surah Mai’dah, verse 6)

Then why did He give us a task that’s not quite easy to do? Then I thought to myself, how can I deny a fact stated by Allah (swt) Himself? There must be some wisdom behind it. And when I did realize the reason, my heart filled with gratitude for Allah azza wa jal.

Yes! Allah wants ease for you. We might only be thinking about the fasting hours. But Allah (swt) has a bigger and better plan for us. Allah (swt) wants to make your life easier. Your life won’t be easy until you have Guidance and you won’t have Guidance until you have Taqwa. And the purpose of Ramadan is to attain Taqwa! Since this is Ramadan season you must memorized this verse where Allah (swt) says in Surah Baqarah, “The month of Ramadhan (is that) in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights (the new moon of) the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and (wants) for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that (to) which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.”

Allah wants to make your life easy! That is why He chose you to witness another Ramadan in your life. Subhan Allah, Allah (swt) has given us another chance to better our lives!

But question arises, if fasting increases taqwa then why fasting only in Ramadan is obligatory and not on any other day?

The best part about Ramadan is that the shaytan is chained. Wallahi if shaytan was around during Ramadan, we wouldn’t observe siyam for a week. We’d start giving up on fasting, forget about working on our good deeds and gaining taqwa.

Another point that can be brought out is a lil detail about taqwa. How many times did Allah azza wa jal mention taqwa in the Quran…?

Over 200 times.

And how many times did Allah azza wa jal mention Ramadan in the Quran…?

Just one ayah in the Quran.

The reason is obvious isn’t it…? When your mom asks you to switch off TV, do you do it in the first instant or do you avoid her talks? When your mom asks you to leave your phone aside, do you it instantly or continue using the phone?

The fact that Allah mentioned taqwa over 200 times in the Quran is because we don’t develop taqwa easily. It takes work. Added to that with shaytan being around and increasing our desires into the Haram direction, it isn’t easy to develop taqwa.

The whole purpose of Ramadan is to develop what you don’t do even after being said over 200 times. With the shaytan gone, we avoid the things Allah has forbidden and follow the things that Allah (swt) has commanded thereby increasing God consciousness; taqwa.

Ramadan is our training program. The things that tempt us and the things that we’re attracted to; we’re ready to let go off those things in Ramadan. In the process, our heart is getting stronger; we start doing things for the sake of Allah. In this yearly program we let our heart win over the desires of our body. Allah is helping us prepare ourselves. And the taqwa that we develop is going to act like our shield for the rest 11 months.

What better way to attain taqwa? ;)

When Allah (swt) has made it so much easier for us to get closer to them, gave us an opportunity to keep away from haram, let’s do our best to gain unlimited rewards, In sha Allah :)

Assalam Alaykum

A Call From Allah!

As Salam Alykum! 

May the peace of The Almighty be upon all of you!

Let's begin with a question. 

Whom do we usually turn to in sadness or in happiness? 

Our friends might get the majority of the votes! And maybe 10-15 % might say their parents. But whom should we turn to in times of grief or ecstasy..?

My answer would be pretty obvious but let's look into some facts that we may have ignored.. 

Let's deal with sadness first since that's kinda like the elixir for teenagers or rather the youth. When we are told that there won't be sadness in Jannah, we go like "Really? How come there's a life without sadness???"

But why do we face sadness or depression? Why is there a feeling of frustration and disappointment? If our Creator loves us so much then why does He burden us? Isn't there enough already?

Allah says in the Quran in Surah Baqarah, verse 286; "Allah does not burden a soul beyond that which it can bear."

A verse we've heard like a thousand times, but have we reflected on it atleast once..? Wallahi if we did, we wouldn't hold Allah responsible for our sadness. Because He knows what each and every soul's capacity is. He would NEVER ever burden us, or give us tests beyond that which we can bear. If He has tested us with something, it means we're strong enough to overcome it. Tell me. Would you or your Creator know best of what you're capable of? If we're saying we cannot bear it, are we trying to say that Allah's claim is wrong...? Remember what Rasulullah (SAWS) said? No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were a prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that.

Sadness is a part of life just like happiness, anger and love. It cannot be neglected or avoided in this world. This world, as we know it is temporary. So the sadness in it is also temporary. But that doesn't mean it has no solution. There is an amazing way to get out of it....

At times of trials and tribulations, we have a decision to make. Either we can get closer to Allah or we can decide to live with our pain, restrict it to ourselves, prolong it for no reason and let the pain get worse.

When we are sad and we feel pain, our first reaction is, we wana isolate ourselves. And this is NOT what you want to do. It is the Shaytan telling you that you will feel better in isolation just because you're the only one that understands what you're going through. It is a deception from Shaytan! 

What happens during isolation is, our Deen starts to disappear. The content of our Salah, the Khushoo of our Salah starts to disappear. Our ability to recite the Quran is no longer there. What did we do differently? Well we gave ourselves to Shaytan. And Shaytan's promise is he will lead us astray, away from the path of Allah. 

Pain and suffering becomes negative if it creates a barrier between us and Allah. But it becomes positive, pain becomes positive - a motivation for us when it brings us back to Allah! And this is what each and everyone of us going through pain and suffering need to realize. The point of pain and suffering is not that Allah wants to punish you but rather it is a calling from Allah! This is one of the wisdoms of trials and tribulations.  

There is actually a blessing inside trials that we don't perceive. Trials and tribulations are a means of purification. They are a means of purifying us so that we can go to the purest of places. They are not out of Allah's anger or wrath. They are a means of cleansing us of our sins. It is a preparation so that we can go into the purest and noblest of places, Jannah. 

All of this is about perspective and how we deal with the situation. So it's very important for those of us who are going through trials, to change our perspective of trials. It is not a punishment from Allah, it is a means to get closer to Allah. It is a calling from Allah that He wants us to come back to Him. 

Let not the sadness in this world affect us. We were not made for this temporary life but for an eternal life of beauty and bliss. Let's keep aside this temporary sadness and work towards our ultimate destination, Jannah. 

As Salam Alykum. :)